Modular rack assembly

ABSTRACT

A modular rack assembly for storing and shipping massive metal articles which includes a rigid rectangular base having a vertically disposed leg fixed at each corner and a post member extending vertically above and supported by each leg. The legs and post members include means providing a pair of open, interfacing vertically aligned grooves at each side of the rack assembly for slidably receiving and laterally supporting the opposite ends of side members disposed on edge along each side of the rack assembly to provide a load bearing side wall at each side of the rack assembly.

States Patent [191 Giardini Dec. 31, 1974 [5 MODULAR RACK ASSEMBLY3,565,018 2/1971 Jay.l. 108/53 3 l 1 lnvemon Emidio Giardini, NewCastle, 3:333:23? #32 E35; 108F2 3? [73] Assignee: RockwellInternational Corporation,

Pittsburgh, Pa. Primary ExaminerRamon S. Britts [22] Filed: July 16,1973 21 Appl No.: 379,789 [57] ABSTRACT A modular rack assembly forstoring and shipping massive metal articles which includes a rigidrectangu- (gl. 2ll/l7gznlgggg lar base having a vertically disposed legfixed at each [58] Fieid R 148 corner and a post member extendingvertically above r 1O8/53 56 and supported by each leg. The legs andpost members include means providing a pair of open, interfacingvertically aligned grooves at each side of the rack as- [56] ReferencesCited sembly for slidably receiving and laterally supporting UNITEDSTATES PATENTS the opposite ends of side members disposed on edge2,547,] 12 4/1951 Daniels 108/55 X along each side of the rack assembiyto provide a load 3,147,360 6 ean e al--- 108/53 X bearing side wall ateach side of the rack assembly. 3,193,093 7/1965 Hansen [08/53 X3,207,095 9/1965 l-liatt 108/53 13 Claims, 8 Drawing IFiguresPATENTEDUEBB 1 W 5; 857', 4% sum 1 or &

PATENTED EH13 I 1974 SHEET 2 OF 4 PATENTEU UECB 1 I974 SHEET 3 OF 4PATENTED DEBS 1 I974 SHEET L 0F 4 MODULAR RACK ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION This invention relates to a novel modular rack assemblyfor storing and shipping articles of manufacture. More specifically,this invention relates to a knockdown, self-storing, returnable type ofmodular rack assembly which is particularly suitable for storing andshipping massive durable articles such as automotive axles.

The use of wooden pallets and modular rack assemblies as some of themore sophisticated storage-and shipping units have become known, is wellknown in the field of material handling. Such units have enjoyed greatsuccess in providing for unitized storage and transportation of manytypes of products because they can be easily moved by modern materialhandling equipment and can be stored in a manner which takes maximumadvantage of the space available in warehouse facilities andtransportation vehicles. The modular unit concept has become so wellaccepted that many types of relatively expensive modular rack assemblieswhich can be stacked on top of similar racks for storing and shippingarticles of manufacture and then partly disassembled or knocked-down toprovide a returnable unit of considerably less volume are presently inuse.

Many of the prior art rack assemblies incorporate a rectangular basemember and a pair of end frames which are slidably received in uprightposition in the leg members disposed at opposite ends of the base toprovide a modular unit for shipping and storing articles. After thearticles have been delivered, some of these rack assemblies can bepartly disassembled by removing the end frames and stacking them on thebase to provide a relatively compact knocked-down unit which is thenreturned to the shipper or manufacturer. Several such modular rackassemblies are disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,956,763, issued Oct. 18,1960; US. Pat. No. 3,499,398, issued Mar. 10, 1970 and US. Pat. No.3,565,018 issued Feb. 23, 1971'.

In many instances such modular rack assemblies have provided substantialeconomic advantages over the wooden pallets, packing boxes or crates inwhich many articles of commerce were previously stored and shipped.Unfortunately such advantages have not been effected in all areas ofmanufacture and there are many areas in which wooden crates or otherwooden structures are still employed because the heretofore knownmodular rack assemblies have been inadequate for one reason or another.

One such area involves the storing and shipping of massive products suchas automotive axles. Notwithstanding many advances in material handlingtechniques and equipment, many such products are shipped and stored onwooden frame structures because the heretofore known modular rackassemblies have either lacked sufficient strength to adequately supporta number of such articles or, when fabricated from metal members strongenough to support such a load, the metal supporting members failed toprovide adequate dunnage to prevent damage to the surfaces of the metalarticles. Such articles have traditionally been shipped in boxes orcrates constructed of hardwood. The wooden supporting members of suchboxes or crates have traditionally provided sufficient resiliency tocushion the load supported thereby and restrain lateral displacement ofthe article. A modular rack assembly incorporating metal supportingmembers will not cushion the articles supported thereby and may eveninduce surface damage. Moreover, the relatively low coefficient offriction between a metal. supporting member and a metal articlesupported thereby is such that it will not effectively restrain lateralmovement of the metal article in the same manner that a woodensupporting member will.

It is therefore an important object of this invention to provide amodular rack assembly which incorporates the material handlingadvantages of a returnable metal rack assembly and the load bearingsupporting characteristics of hardwood supporting members.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a returnable, modularrack assembly employing wooden side members which can be quickly andeasily assembled and disassembled.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a returnable,modular metal rack assembly employing wooden load bearing side wallswhich can be quickly assembled and disassembled without the necessity ofusing any fastening elements or tools.

Another object of this invention is to provide a modular storage rackincorporating wooden load bearing side walls and which is collapsibleand permits storage of the disassembled parts in a minimum of space.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a modular storagerack assembly incorporating wooden 1 load bearing side walls arranged tosupport a plurality of massive metal articles disposed horizontallyacross the load bearing walls at different horizontal levels.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The novel metal rack assembly of this inventionattains these and other objects through the combination of a rigidrectangular base member having a vertically disposed leg fixed at eachcorner thereof, a post member extending vertically above and supportedby each leg, and the provision of a pair of open, interfacing verticallyaligned grooves associated with the pair of post members and legs ateach side of the rack assembly to slidably receive and laterally supportthe opposite ends of side members disposed on edge along each side ofthe rack assembly. In one embodiment of the invention, separate groovemeans are provided to each leg and post member, the grooves provided toeach member being arranged to be in vertical alignment when each postmember is supported by its respective leg, and a number of hardwoodboards are disposed on their edges on each side of the rack assemblywith the boards at each side being superimposed one on top of the otherwith their opposite ends laterally supported by the pair of verticallyextending grooves provided at that side of the rack assembly.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings, wherein like referencenumerals refer to like parts:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the modular rack assembly of thisinvention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rack assembly of FIG. 1 with the endframes removed and stacked on the base;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the rack assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the base of the rack assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the rack base of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an end elevation of the rack base of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an end elevation showing one of the end frames of the rackassembly of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the end frame of FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Referring now to thedrawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1-3, the modular rack assembly 10 ofthis invention generally includes a base 11, a pair of oppositelydisposed end frames 40, 41 and a plurality of side members 50 disposedalong the opposite sides of the rack assembly.

The base 11 is rectangular in shape and includes a pair of oppositelydisposed horizontally extending side rails l2, 13, a pair of oppositelydisposed horizontally extending end rails 14, 15, and a verticallydisposed leg member l6, 17, 18 and 19. The leg members 16-19, side rails12, 13, and end rails 14 and 15 are preferably provided by appropriatelengths of hollow steel tubing of square cross section and each legmember is vertically disposed at one corner of the base where it issecured, preferably by welding, to one end rail and one side rail. Thebase 11 is structurally reinforced at each corner by a pair of gussetplates 28, 29. The gusset plates 28 are welded to the outer end surfacesof an end rail and a leg member at each corner of the base 11. Thegusset plates 29 are welded along two intersecting edge surfaces 30, 30'to the side surface of a leg member and the outer surface of a side railat each corner of the base 11. The portion of the gusset plate 29intermediate the edges 30, 30' and extending toward the opposite end ofthe base 11 is formed outwardly from the edges 30, 30' for a purposewhich will be described more fully herebelow.

The base 11 is further reinforced by inboard side members 22horizontally disposed between the end rails 14 and 15 and cross supports23 horizontally disposed between the inboard side members 22 and theirrespective side rail 12, 13. The upper horizontal surfaces of the siderails 12, 13, inboard side members 22, cross supports 23 and end rails14, 15 are preferably disposed in a common horizontal plane with the legmembers l6, 17, 18 and 19 and gusset plates 28, 29 extending verticallya substantial distance above that plane.

The lower ends of each of the leg members 16-19 are provided with arectangular truncated insert 20 press fitted therein which are adaptedto seat within the upper ends of the leg members of a similar base 11 orin the upper ends of the end frames of a similar modu lar rack assembly10. The upper end of each leg member 16-19 is reinforced with a metalband 21 suitably shaped to fit around the exterior surface of the legmember where it is fixed in place by welding.

The base 11 is provided at its opposite ends with metal runnerbars orskids 24 extending between the leg members 16, 19 and 17, 18 forsupporting the rack on a floor surface with the lower ends of thetruncated inserts 20 spaced slightly above the supporting surface. Eachrunner bar 24 is formed with a substantially flat center support portion25 and upwardly directed end portion 26 secured to the respective endrail 14 or 15 as well as to the inwardly directed surfaces of the legmembersrVertically disposed reinforcing angles 27 are secured betweenthe bars 25 and end rails 14 and 15. The angles 27 are suitably spacedfrom one another to provide openings for receiving the fork of aconventional lift truck.

The leg members 16, 17, 18 and 19 are provided with a verticallydisposed channel shaped element 36, 37, 38 and 39 respectively. Thechannel elements are preferably formed from a suitably bent metal plateand each channel element is welded to its respective leg member along asubstantial length thereof to provide a groove of rectangular crosssection associated with each leg member and open in a direction facingan oppositely disposed channel element at the opposite end of the base11. The channel elements are so disposed that the grooves provided bychannel elements 37 and 38 respectively fixed to leg members 17 and 18are open toward and in vertical alignment with the grooves provided bythe oppositely disposed channel elements 36 and 39 which arerespectively fixed to leg members 16 and 19. The channel elements 36, 37provide a pair of open interfacing vertically aligned grooves at theside of rack base 11 between the leg members 16 and 17, and the channelelements 38, 39 provide a pair of open interfacing vertically alignedgrooves at the opposite side of the rack base between leg members 18 and19.

The end frames 40, 41 are each comprised of a pair of upstanding postmembers 42, 45, and 43, 44, respectively fixed together in parallelspaced relation by a pair of horizontally disposed tubular elements 31,32. The upstanding post members 42, 43, 44 and 45 are preferably formedfrom the same hollow tubular stock as the leg members 16-19 of the base11. The lower end of each post member 42-45 is provided with anappropriate length of a hollow tubular extension 34 slidably receivedwithin the post member and permanently fixed thereto by means of acircular or button type weld 35 effected through a hole provided nearthe lower end of the post member. The upper end of each post member isreinforced by a metal band 33 formed to fit around the periphery of thepost member and welded thereto.

Each post member 42, 43, 44, 45 is provided with a vertically disposed,channel shaped element 46, 47, 48, 49, respectively. Each channel shapedelement 46-49 is welded to the inner side of its respective post memberalong a substantial length thereof, The channel elements 46-49 like thechannel shaped elements 36-39 are preferably formed from a suitably bentmetal plate to provide each post member with a vertically extendinggroove of substantially rectangular cross section which is open in adirection facing the opposite end of the rack base 11.

The horizontally disposed cross members 31, 32 are of a length whichwill permit the tubular extensions 34 of the post members of eachrespective end frame 40, 41 to be slidably received in a pair of hollowtubular leg members 16, 19, or 17, 18, with the post members of that endframe supported by that pair of leg members.

The channel members 46, 49 and 47, 48 associated with each respectiveend frame 40, 41 are so disposed that the vertically extending groovesprovided thereby will be in vertical alignment with the grooves providedby the channel element 36, 39 or 37, 38 respectively associated with theleg members 16, 19 and 17, 18 at opposite ends of the base 11.

With particular reference to the rack assembly 11 as shown in FIG. 1,the vertically extending grooves provided by channel members 46 and 47associated with the post members supported by legs 16 and 17 arearranged to be in substantial vertical alignment with the groove meansprovided by channel members 36 and 37 to conjointly provide a pair ofopen interfacing and oppositely disposed grooves at the side of the rackassembly between the leg members 16 and 17. The grooves provided bychannel members 48, 49 associated with the post members 44, 45 supportedby leg members 18 and 19 are likewise disposed to be in substantialvertical alignment with the grooves provided by channel elements 38 and39 to provide a pair of open interfacing grooves at the side of the rackassembly 11 between leg members 18 and 19.

The two pair of open interfacing vertically aligned grooves extendingalong the leg members and post members at each side of the rack assemblyserve to receive and support a number of side members 50. The sidemembers 50 are preferably formed of hardwood 2 X 4s cut to a suitablelength to permit the opposite ends thereof to be slidably received in apair of the open interfacing vertically aligned grooves at one side ofthe rack assembly.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 3, the rack assembly 10 is assembled bypositioning the hollow tubular extensions 34 of each end frame 40, 41 ina pair of hollow upstanding leg members 16, 19 or 17, 18 at one end ofthe base 11. A pair of load bearing side walls are then provided at eachside of the rack assembly 10 by disposing an appropriate number ofhardwood side members in the open interfacing vertically aligned groovesprovided at each side of the rack assembly. Each hardwood side member 50is disposed on its edge with its opposite ends laterally supported bythe legs of the channel members providing the pair of vertically alignedgrooves at that side of the rack assembly. The

. lowermost side member 50 at each side of the rack assembly issupported by a portion of the end rails 14, and the cross supports 23disposed between the side rails 12, 13 and the inboard side members 22.Each successive hardwood member 50 is disposed with its lower edge incontact with and supported by the preceding hardwood side member. Thehardwood side members 50 are thus superimposed one on top of the otherto provide a hardwood side wall at each respective side of the rackassembly to provide a load bearing, wooden side wall of a heightsatisfactory to accommodate the articles of manufacture to be supportedthereby.

In the case of automotive axles such articles of manufacture are usuallyabout eight foot in length and, although the center section of an axlemay be on the order of about 4 to 8 inches square, the outer extremitiesare formed to a complex shape to accept a wheel assembly. The rackassembly of this invention, although it may be fabricated with the legand post members at the corners of a 3 /2 foot square, is particularlysuitable for storing and transporting massive automotive axle assembliesbecause of the novel load bearing, hardwood side wall structure providedby the hardwood side members 50.

As pointed out previously, the side members may be superimposed one ontop of the other to provide a load bearing side wall section of anysuitable height. With reference to FIG. 1 it will be noted that thebrackets identified by the numerals 52 and 53 designate a lower loadbearing wall section provided by three wooden side members 50 disposedon edge along each respective side of the rack assembly 10. Thelowermost side member 50 of each wall section 52, 53 is supported by thecross supports 23 and the uppermost side member 50 of each wall sectionis disposed with its opposite ends laterally supported across thetelescopic joint between a post member and! a leg member by a portion ofthe channel member associated with each respective post and leg member.The lower wall sections 52, 53 are so disposed to accommodate severalaxles laid horizontally thereacross with their relatively complex shapedouter ends spaced outwardly at each side of the rack assembly 10. Aftera first layer of axles has been disposed across the load bearing wallsections 52, 53, a second wall section identified in FIG. 1 by bracketednumerals 54, 55, is provided above the first layer of axles at each sideof the rack assembly to provide a second level wall section at each sideof the rack assembly to support another horizontally disposed layer ofaxles. The wooden side members 50 of the second level wall sections 54,55 are assembled one by one in superimposed layers with the lowermostwooden side member 50 supported directly on top of the first layer ofaxles. After the second wall sections 54, 55 have been built to asuitable height, a second layer of axles are disposed horizontallyacross the uppermost wooden side members 50 of the wall sections 54, 55.The horizontal rows of axle assemblies are then suitably secured byconventional metal strapping and the loaded modular rack assembly isthen ready for storage or transportation to some other location.

The modular rack assemblies are designed to permit them to be stackedone on top of the other, the truncated inserts 20 provided at the baseof each leg of one rack base 11 being slidably received within thehollow upper end of a post member reinforced by the metal bands 33.

Once a shipment has been completed and the axle assemblies have beenremoved, the modular rack assembly of this invention can be readilydisassembled for return by removing the wooden side members 50, the endframes 40 and 41 and stacking or nesting the same on the base 11. I

With reference to FIG. 2 the end frames 40, 41 are fabricated to suchdimensions as will permit them to be stacked one on top of the otheralong the side rails 12, 13 of the base 11. The post members 42-44 arepreferably formed from the same hollow tubular stock material as theside rails 12, 13 and leg members 1649. The laterally disposed tubularelements 31, 32 of each end frame 40, 41 are of such a length as permitsthe post members associated with each respective end frame to bevertically aligned with the leg members at one end of the base 11 and,when disassembled, to be supported directly above the side rails 12, 13as shown in FIG. 2. The length of the post members 4 2-45 including thehollow tubular extension members 34 provided at the lower ends thereofis preferably about 1 inch short of the length of the side rails 12, 13to permit the post members to be disposed horizontally between the legmembers provided at opposite ends of the base 11.

The gusset plates 29 provided at each end of the side rails 12, 13 areformed outwardly a distance d as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 to providea slight clearance to permit easy stacking of the post members 42-45 ofthe end frames when they are nested on top of the base 11 as shown inFIG. 2. In the embodiment just described the distance d is preferablyabout three-eights inch to accommodate the one-fourth inch thickness ofthe metal reinforcing bands 33 and allow sufficient clearance to easilystack the end frames 40, 41 on the base 11.

With reference to FIG. 2 the hardwood side members 50, although notshown, may be horizontally disposed on top of the end frame 40 withtheir opposite ends supported by the upper surfaces of post members42-45 to provide a very compact, knocked-down modular rack which can bestrapped to secure the wooden side members thereto and returned to thepoint of origin. The compact, knocked-down modular rack as shown in FIG.2 may be stacked on top of another similar rack base 11 with thetruncated inserts provided at the lower end of each leg member of therack base 11 slidably received in the hollow upper ends of the legmembers of a similar rack base.

The foregoing has described the provision of a rigid metal rack assemblyincorporating novel means for quickly and easily providing anddisassemblying wooden load bearing side walls without the necessity ofusing any fastening elements or tools. As such, this invention hasincorporated a quick and inexpensive means for providing a rigid, metalmodular rack assembly with hardwood load bearing wall sections tosupport a number of massive metal articles of manufacture to takeadvantage of the supporting characteristics of wooden frame members andthe efficiency of modern material handling techniques and equipment.

This invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The embodiment ofthis invention described hereinabove is therefore to be considered inall respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of theinvention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by theforegoing description and all changes which come within the meaning andrange of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embracedtherein.

What is claimed and described to be secured by letters patent is:

l. A modular rack assembly for storing and shipping massive metalarticles comprising,

a rectangular shaped rigid metal base including a pair of oppositelydisposed side rails, a pair of oppositely disposed end rails, and avertically disposed leg member fixed at each corner of said base,

each of said leg members including means providing a verticallyextending leg groove open in a direction facing the opposite end of saidbase and in substantial vertical alignment with a leg groove at theopposite end of said base,

an upstanding metal post member at each corner of said rack assembly andmeans engaging each of said post members with the leg member at thatcorner to support said post members above said leg members,

each of said post members including means providing a verticallyextending groove open in a direction facing the opposite end of saidrack assembly and in substantial vertical alignment with the leg groovetherebelow to provide a pair of open interfacing vertically alignedgrooves extending along a substantial length of said leg members andpost members at each side of the rack assembly, and plurality of woodenboards disposed along each side of said rack assembly to provide a loadbearing wall at each respective side thereof, the plurality of boards ateach respective side being superimposed one on top of another with eachsuccessive board supported on its edge above a preceding board and withthe opposite ends of each board laterally supported by the meansproviding said pair of grooves at that side of said rack assembly.

2. A modular metal rack assembly for storing and shipping massive metalarticles comprising,

a rectangular shaped base including a pair of oppositely disposedhorizontally extending side rails, a

pair of oppositely disposed horizontally extending end rails, and avertically disposed leg member fixed at each corner of said base andextending above said side and end rails, each of said leg membersincluding means providing a vertically extending leg groove open in adirection facing the opposite end of said base and in substantialvertical alignment with a leg groove at the opposite end of said base,an upstanding post member at each corner of said rack and means engagingeach of said post members with the leg member at that corner to supportsaid post members above said leg members, each of said post membersincluding means providing a vertically extending groove open in adirection facing the opposite end of said rack assembly and insubstantial vertical alignment with the leg groove provided by the legmember supporting that post member to provide a vertically extendingcontinuation of each of said leg grooves, said leg grooves and saidcontinuations thereby providing a pair of open interfacing verticallyaligned grooves at each side of the rack assembly whereby at least oneside member may be disposed on its edge along each side of said rackassembly with the opposite ends of each side member slidably received insaid pair of grooves provided at that side of the rack assembly andlaterally supported by said means providing said grooves. 3. The modularmetal rack assembly defined by claim 2 wherein the pair of upstandingpost members provided at each end of said rack are fixed together inparallel spaced relation in alignment with the leg members provided ateach end of said base and a channel shaped metal element is fixed toeach respective post member along a substantial length thereof toprovide said vertically extending groove.

4. The modular metal rack assembly defined by claim 3 wherein a channelshaped metal element is fixed to each leg member along a substantiallength thereof to provide a vertically extending leg groove ofsubstantially rectangular cross section.

5. The modular metal rack assembly defined by claim 2 wherein aplurality of side members are disposed along each side of said rackassembly to provide a pair of oppositely disposed load bearing sidewalls, the side members at each respective side of the rack assemblybeing superimposed one on top of another with each successive sidemember supported on its edge above the preceding side member and withthe opposite ends of each side member laterally supported by the meansproviding said pair of open interfacing vertically aligned grooves atthat side of said rack assembly.

6. The modular rack assembly defined by claim wherein the plurality ofside members provided along each side of said rack assembly supports atleast one massive -metal article disposed horizontally thereacross andat least one additional side member is disposed on edge along each sideof said rack assembly, the lower edge of each said additional sidemember being supported by said massive metal article and the oppositeends of each said additional side member being laterally supported bythe means providing said pair of open interfacing vertically alignedgrooves at that side of said rack assembly.

7. The modular rack assembly of claim 5 wherein said side members arecomprised of a plurality of wooden boards disposed on edge to support aheavy durable metal article without damaging the surface thereof.

8. A modular rack assembly for storing and shipping a plurality ofmassive metal articles comprising,

a rectangular shaped rigid metal base including a pair of oppositelydisposed horizontally extending side rails, a pair of oppositelydisposed horizontally extending end rails, and a vertically disposed legmember fixed at each corner of said base and extending above said rails,

a pair of rectangular shaped metal end frames, each end frame includinga pair of post members fixed together in parallel spaced relation andeach post member including means providing a vertically extending grooveopen in a direction facing the opposite end of said base,

the upper ends of said leg members and the lower ends of said postmembers being respectively provided with first and second means forslidably receiving said end of one of said members within said end ofthe other of said members in telescopic relation,

said post members of each end frame being spaced to vertically alignsaid post members of each end frame with a pair of said leg members atopposite ends of said base and to align each of the grooves includedwith the post members of one end frame with one of the grooves includedwith the post members of the other end frame to provide a pair of openinterfacing vertically aligned grooves at each side of the rack assemblywhen the post members of each end frame are telescopically engaged witha pair of leg members at opposite ends of said base, and

at least one side member disposed along each side of the rack assembly,the opposite ends of each side member being slidably received in saidpair of grooves provided at that side of the rack assembly and beinglaterally supported by said means providing said pair of grooves.

9. The modular rack assembly of claim 8 wherein said means providingsaid vertically extending groove to each of said post members comprisesa channel shaped element fixed to each respective post member andextending along a substantial length thereof.

10. The modular rack assembly defined in claim 8 wherein each of saidleg members include means providing a vertically extending leg grooveopen in a direction facing the opposite end of said base and said meansproviding each of said leg grooves is disposed in vertical alignmentwith the means providing said vertically extending groove to the postmember telescopically engaged with that respective leg member to providea pair of open interfacing leg grooves at each side of the base insubstantial vertical alignment with the pair of grooves provided at thatside of the rack assembly by said post members.

11. The modular rack assembly defined by claim l0 wherein said meansproviding said vertically extending groove to each of said post membersand said means providing a vertically extending leg groove to each ofsaid leg members are comprised of a formed metal element fixed to eachrespective post member or leg member along a substantial length thereofto provide a vertically extending groove of substantially rectangularcross section.

12. The modular rack assembly defined by claim 8 wherein said base railsand leg members are hollow metal tubular members of rectangular crosssection fixed together at each corner of said base and reinforced ateach corner by a formed gusset plate two intersecting edges of which arerespectively welded to the outer surface of a side rail and the sidesurface of a leg member at that corner of said base, that portion of thegusset plate which extends toward the leg member at the opposite end ofsaid base being formed outwardly to space the interior surface of saidgusset plate outward of said side surface of said leg member, and

said post members of said end frames are formed from the same tubularstock as said leg members and are of a length less than the length ofsaid side rails to enable said end frames to be stored horizontally oneon top of the other on said base with said post members supported bysaid side rails between the leg members at each end of said base andrestrained from substantial lateral movement by said outwardly formedgusset plates which provide lateral clearance at each side of the rackassembly.

13. The modular rack assembly defined by claim 12 wherein each of thetubular post members are reinforced by a metal band positioned aroundand fixed to the external surface thereof and said gusset plates areformed to space their respective interior surfaces a sufficient distanceoutward from the side surface of its respective leg member toaccommodate the thickness of said band when said end frames are storedbetween said gusset plates.

1. A modular rack assembly for storing and shipping massive metalarticles comprising, a rectangular shaped rigid metal base including apair of oppositely disposed side rails, a pair of oppositely disposedend rails, and a vertically disposed leg member fixed at each corner ofsaid base, each of said leg members including means providing avertically extending leg groove open in a direction facing the oppositeend of said base and in substantial vertical alignment with a leg grooveat the opposite end of said base, an upstanding metal post member ateach corner of said rack assembly and means engaging each of said postmembers with the leg member at that corner to support said post membersabove said leg members, each of said post members including meansproviding a vertically extending groove open in a direction facing theopposite end of said rack assembly and in substantial vertical alignmentwith the leg groove therebelow to provide a pair of open interfacingvertically aligned grooves extending along a substantial length of saidleg members and post members at each side of the rack assembly, and aplurality of wooden boards disposed along each side of said rackassembly to provide a load bearing wall at each respective side thereof,the plurality of boards at each respective side being superimposed oneon top of another with each successive board supported on its edge abovea preceding board and with the opposite ends of each board laterallysupported by the means providing said pair of grooves at that side ofsaid rack assembly.
 2. A modular metal rack assembly for storing andshipping massive metal articles comprising, a rectangular shaped baseincluding a pair of oppositely disposed horizontally extending siderails, a pair of oppositely disposed horizontally extending end rails,and a vertically disposed leg member fixed at each corner of said baseand extending above said side and end rails, each of said leg membersincluding means providing a vertically extending leg groove open in adirection facing the opposite end of said base and in substantialvertical alignment with a leg groove at the opposite end of said base,an upstanding post member at each corner of said rack and means engagingeach of said post members with the leg member at that corner to supportsaid post members above said leg members, each of said post membersincluding means providing a vertically extending groove open in adirection facing the opposite end of said rack assembly and insubstantial vertical alignment with the leg groove provided by the legmember supporting that post member to provide a vertically extendingcontinuation of each of said leg grooves, said leg grooves and saidcontinuations thereby providing a pair of open interfacing verticallyaligned grooves at each side of the rack assembly whereby at least oneside member may be disposed on its edge along each side of said rackassembly with the opposite ends of each side member slidably received insaid pair of grooves provided at that side of the rack assembly andlaterally supported by said means providing said grooves.
 3. The modularmetal rack assembly defined by claim 2 wherein the pair of upstandingpost members provided at each end of said rack are fixed together inparallel spaced relation in alignment with the leg members provided ateach end of said base and a channel shaped metal element is fixed toeach respective post member along a substantial length thereof toprovide said vertically extending groove.
 4. The modular metal rackassembly defined by claim 3 wherein a channel shaped metal element isfixed to each leg member along a substantial length thereof to provide avertically extending leg groove of substantially rectangular crosssection.
 5. The modular metal rack assembly defined by claim 2 wherein aplurality of side members are disposed along each side of said rackassembly to provide a pair of oppositely disposed load bearing sidewalls, the side members at each respective side of the rack assemblybeing superimposed one on top of another with each successive sidemember supported on its edge above the preceding side member and withthe opposite ends of each side member laterally supported by the meansproviding said pair of open interfacing vertically aligned grooves atthat side of said rack assemBly.
 6. The modular rack assembly defined byclaim 5 wherein the plurality of side members provided along each sideof said rack assembly supports at least one massive metal articledisposed horizontally thereacross and at least one additional sidemember is disposed on edge along each side of said rack assembly, thelower edge of each said additional side member being supported by saidmassive metal article and the opposite ends of each said additional sidemember being laterally supported by the means providing said pair ofopen interfacing vertically aligned grooves at that side of said rackassembly.
 7. The modular rack assembly of claim 5 wherein said sidemembers are comprised of a plurality of wooden boards disposed on edgeto support a heavy durable metal article without damaging the surfacethereof.
 8. A modular rack assembly for storing and shipping a pluralityof massive metal articles comprising, a rectangular shaped rigid metalbase including a pair of oppositely disposed horizontally extending siderails, a pair of oppositely disposed horizontally extending end rails,and a vertically disposed leg member fixed at each corner of said baseand extending above said rails, a pair of rectangular shaped metal endframes, each end frame including a pair of post members fixed togetherin parallel spaced relation and each post member including meansproviding a vertically extending groove open in a direction facing theopposite end of said base, the upper ends of said leg members and thelower ends of said post members being respectively provided with firstand second means for slidably receiving said end of one of said memberswithin said end of the other of said members in telescopic relation,said post members of each end frame being spaced to vertically alignsaid post members of each end frame with a pair of said leg members atopposite ends of said base and to align each of the grooves includedwith the post members of one end frame with one of the grooves includedwith the post members of the other end frame to provide a pair of openinterfacing vertically aligned grooves at each side of the rack assemblywhen the post members of each end frame are telescopically engaged witha pair of leg members at opposite ends of said base, and at least oneside member disposed along each side of the rack assembly, the oppositeends of each side member being slidably received in said pair of groovesprovided at that side of the rack assembly and being laterally supportedby said means providing said pair of grooves.
 9. The modular rackassembly of claim 8 wherein said means providing said verticallyextending groove to each of said post members comprises a channel shapedelement fixed to each respective post member and extending along asubstantial length thereof.
 10. The modular rack assembly defined inclaim 8 wherein each of said leg members include means providing avertically extending leg groove open in a direction facing the oppositeend of said base and said means providing each of said leg grooves isdisposed in vertical alignment with the means providing said verticallyextending groove to the post member telescopically engaged with thatrespective leg member to provide a pair of open interfacing leg groovesat each side of the base in substantial vertical alignment with the pairof grooves provided at that side of the rack assembly by said postmembers.
 11. The modular rack assembly defined by claim 10 wherein saidmeans providing said vertically extending groove to each of said postmembers and said means providing a vertically extending leg groove toeach of said leg members are comprised of a formed metal element fixedto each respective post member or leg member along a substantial lengththereof to provide a vertically extending groove of substantiallyrectangular cross section.
 12. The modular rack assembly defined byclaim 8 wherein said base rails and leg members are hollow metal tubularmembers of rectangular cRoss section fixed together at each corner ofsaid base and reinforced at each corner by a formed gusset plate twointersecting edges of which are respectively welded to the outer surfaceof a side rail and the side surface of a leg member at that corner ofsaid base, that portion of the gusset plate which extends toward the legmember at the opposite end of said base being formed outwardly to spacethe interior surface of said gusset plate outward of said side surfaceof said leg member, and said post members of said end frames are formedfrom the same tubular stock as said leg members and are of a length lessthan the length of said side rails to enable said end frames to bestored horizontally one on top of the other on said base with said postmembers supported by said side rails between the leg members at each endof said base and restrained from substantial lateral movement by saidoutwardly formed gusset plates which provide lateral clearance at eachside of the rack assembly.
 13. The modular rack assembly defined byclaim 12 wherein each of the tubular post members are reinforced by ametal band positioned around and fixed to the external surface thereofand said gusset plates are formed to space their respective interiorsurfaces a sufficient distance outward from the side surface of itsrespective leg member to accommodate the thickness of said band whensaid end frames are stored between said gusset plates.